Oxheart

Family: Solanaceae Nightshade

Planting Schedule

Provide your location or planting zone to unlock dates and add Oxheart to a garden.

Sink your senses into Oxheart’s rich, old-world aroma and its wonderfully meaty, rose-to-russet flesh—an heirloom beefsteak that ripens into a heart-shaped showstopper.

The fruit’s texture is luxuriously dense and juicy, with a balanced sweetness and gentle tang that shines in thick slices for classic tomato showcases. Grow Oxheart for a garden-to-table centerpiece: bold flavor, substantial bite, and a distinctly romantic silhouette that makes every harvest feel like a treasure.

Light: Full SunMaturity: 85 DaysHabit: Indeterminate

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Oxheart Planting Dates by USDA Zone

Estimated US hardiness-zone windows for sow, transplant, and harvest. Enter a US ZIP above for exact local dates, or open a zone below.

Zone	Start Indoors	Sow / Transplant	Harvest
Zone 1a	Protected Environment Only
Zone 1b	Protected Environment Only
Zone 2a	Mar 30th	Jul 20th	Oct 13th – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Mar 20th	Jul 10th	Oct 3rd – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Mar 20th	Jul 10th	Oct 3rd – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Mar 24th	Jul 14th	Oct 7th – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Mar 20th	Jul 10th	Oct 3rd – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Mar 18th	Jul 8th	Oct 1st – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Mar 13th	Jul 3rd	Sep 26th – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Mar 9th	Jun 29th	Sep 22nd – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Mar 6th	Jun 26th	Sep 19th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Feb 28th	Jun 20th	Sep 13th – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Feb 23rd	Jun 15th	Sep 8th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Feb 13th	Jun 5th	Aug 29th – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Feb 4th	May 27th	Aug 20th – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Jan 26th	May 18th	Aug 11th – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Jan 9th	May 1st	Jul 25th – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Dec 15th	Apr 6th	Jun 30th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	Continuous Production
Zone 10b	Continuous Production
Zone 11a	Continuous Production
Zone 11b	Continuous Production
Zone 12a	Continuous Production
Zone 12b	Continuous Production
Zone 13a	Continuous Production
Zone 13b	Continuous Production

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	85
Sun Requirements	Full Sun
Growth Habit	Indeterminate
Support Needed	Cage
Planting Depth	Deep
Germination Temp (°F)	75
Min Soil Temp (°F)	60
Min Night Temp (°F)	50
Harden Off (days)	9

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Oxheart is built like a classic beefsteak: dense, fleshy slices that won’t slump or weep aggressively, so you get clean tomato bites with that gentle tang. It shines with fats and salts—olive oil, cheese, pepper—where the fruit’s meaty structure holds its shape on hot toast or in a blistered, spoonable topping.

Best Uses

thick slice tomato platters where the flesh stays intact on the plate
warm tomato toast/garlic bread that can take a broil without turning to mush
charred-slice salsa or relish where the pieces remain juicy but not watery
quick pan-blistering for a jammy, spoonable topping

Flavor Profile

meaty, dense flesh with low gel balanced sweetness with a gentle tang old-world tomato aroma; silky juiciness rose-to-russet complexity that tastes slow-roasted even fresh

Kitchen Pairings

extra-virgin olive oil garlic fresh mozzarella balsamic vinegar black pepper crusty sourdough

Frequently Asked Questions

What pests commonly attack Solanum lycopersicum (oxheart tomato), and how can I control them at home?

Oxheart tomatoes in home gardens are often hit by hornworms and aphids. Hand-pick hornworms when you spot them and place them in soapy water; for aphids, spray the undersides of leaves with a strong jet of water, then use insecticidal soap if numbers persist. Check plants twice a week along the main stem and leaf undersides to catch infestations early.

How often should I water oxheart tomatoes during the peak growing (fruiting) stage?

During fruiting, keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged—about 1 to 2 inches of water per week depending on heat and container vs. ground. Water deeply at the base so moisture reaches the root zone, and aim to avoid letting the soil dry out completely, since irregular moisture can trigger blossom-end rot and fruit cracking. In hot spells, you may need to water 2–3 times per week, but only adjust after checking the top few inches of soil.

How do I tell when oxheart tomatoes are ready to harvest?

Harvest when the fruit is fully colored for its cultivar and gives slightly to gentle pressure at the blossom end without feeling mushy. Oxheart tomatoes mature in about 85 days, so start checking around that window, especially for fruits that have reached their final size. For best flavor, pick in the morning and allow a day of ripening off the plant only if color is still incomplete.